You won’t find frozen delights like these by following a truck blaring “Pop Goes the Weasel.” When we sampled the ice-cream of the crop at a few of the valley’s finest restaurants and cafés, we heard strains of Mozart and Vivaldi.

The USA Pro Challenge, a slickly produced road race that's lured the world's top two-wheeled talent and thousands of cycling fans high into the Rockies the past two summers, spins into its third edition this August. Is this America's Tour de France?